Benilde Blazers captain Justine Sanchez knows his team missed out on a golden opportunity to secure a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the playoffs after falling to the San Beda Red Lions on Tuesday.
But he isn’t dwelling on it.
Instead, he has promised to just do better in Benilde’s NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal matchup against the EAC Generals.
Justine Sanchez Wants to Bounce Back
The graduating power forward could very well be playing his final NCAA game this coming Monday, November 16, when the Blazers face EAC in the quarterfinals. Or he could be playing the first of what could be a couple more games on the road to a championship to end his collegiate career.
But before that, the 6-foot-6 big man took accountability for the team coming up short against San Beda in their final elimination-round game.
“We accept the consequence. Feeling ko naman din siguro ang dami naming lapses as individual din and as a team, so kailangan na lang talaga namin i-make up ‘to for the EAC game,” Sanchez told Rebanse after the game. “It’s really hard makakuha ng dalawang win, and we lost the twice-to-beat, but we’re gonna fight back.”
Leader of the Pack
Expect Justine Sanchez to be at the forefront of that fightback. All season long, he has carried much of the load for the Blazers, especially with their other star player, Allen Liwag, sidelined for most of the tournament due to an injury. In Season 102, Sanchez has averaged 13.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists so far, and he will need to do even more come playoff time.
“Siguro we’ll make it harder sa practice pa, and as a leader din siguro kailangan ko na rin mag-voice out. Kailangan ko siguro sila i-collate ulit para mas maging buo pa kami sa susunod na game namin,” Sanchez emphasized.
A Fairy-Tale Ending Awaiting Benilde?
Aside from Justine Sanchez, Allen Liwag is also set to graduate after this season.
With two of Benilde’s key big men potentially playing their final collegiate game on Monday, the Blazers are certainly hoping to make a fairy-tale-like run in the playoffs and give their graduating teammates a better ending to their collegiate careers.
The Benilde-EAC quarterfinal matchup is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on November 16 at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
